INFECT ME!
The "viral video" is having an enormous impact on modern day society.Only a few presidential elections ago, the only campaign videos that existed were created either by stiffs in suits working for one of the candidates or by stiffs in suits working for the corporate media. Either way, the results were usually pretty lackluster. Now, thanks to the internet citizens and private groups can easily join the national debate. Here are 10 virii that focus on the presidential elections and are catching everyone's attention.Make sure you check out the SNL skit with Tina Fey!
(ALTERNET)

SCENE FROM THE VIEW
I've never seen "The View" but found this little segment interesting, not only because of the item that they're discussing but also because it's a panel of really intelligent and serious women giving their views. And, unlike the pap from the "heavyweight" discussion outlets like CNN and Fox(!??!) they really seem to tackle a problem by talking it out with (not over) each other.
(ABC)

America’s Voice | News Blogs Call McCain Ad a “Fraudulent” Attack Designed to Fool Latino Voters

SAY IT AIN'T SO, STRAIGHT TALKER
The New York Times and The Washington Post are denouncing McCain's latest Spanish-language campaign ad as fraudulent.
(AMERICA'S VOICE, suggested by AlterNet)

BELIEF YOU CAN CHANGE INTO
How did the folks who have been the bulwark of reaction become the harbingers of change? (SEE THIS ELLEN GOODMAN PIECE.) It was a testimony to the GOP's ability to market belief and blind faith that they could get even the Christian Crazy blue hairs at their convention talking sensitively about the little unwed mother (imagine what they would say if it had been Chelsea - whore daughter of that whore dad and bitch mom - who was knocked up) and talking all sorts of smack about change like they were the Socialist Workers' Party. It was a regular kumbayah moment. The only thing missing was Ann Coulter singing "We Shall Overcome". Add to that the GOPs really remarkable job of marketing Palin based on her experiences as a small town mayor and subsequently governor of this sparsely populated and uniquely situated state, as part of their "populist" resume.
But Palin is really the MAYOR OF NOWHERE. The universe of local governance in Wasilla is sharply circumscribed even by the standards of small towns. Firefighting and schools, two of its main elements, are handled by the regional government. The state has jurisdiction over social services and environmental regulations. With so many government services in the state subsidized by oil revenue, and with no need to provide for local schools, Wasilla has also made do with a very low property tax rate, the bulk of which is paid by people who live outside town but shop at its big-box stores.
And, as this Michael Kinsley piece notes, "libertarian" Alaska is, in essence, an adjunct member of OPEC. It has four different taxes on oil, which produce more than 89% of the state's unrestricted revenue. On average, three-quarters of the value of a barrel of oil is taken by the state government before that oil is permitted to leave the state. Alaska residents each get a yearly check for about $2,000 from oil revenues, plus an additional $1,200 pushed through by Palin last year to take advantage of rising oil prices. Any sympathy the governor of Alaska expresses for folks in the lower 48 who are suffering from high gas prices or can't afford to heat their homes is strictly crocodile tears.
(ELLEN GOODMAN, WASHINGTON POST and TIME MAGAZINE)